Windsor, Ont., GreenShield workers to vote on tentative deal Wednesday, says union

CBC
·2 min read
Workers have been off the job at GreenShield in Windsor since the early-morning hours of March 1. (Meg Roberts/CBC - image credit)
Workers have been off the job at GreenShield in Windsor since the early-morning hours of March 1. (Meg Roberts/CBC - image credit)

A tentative deal is in place for GreenShield workers in Windsor, Ont.

"We are pleased to announce Local 240 and 673 have reached a tentative agreement," the local union said in a social media post on Monday morning.

The union said a ratification vote is being held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Serbian Centre in Windsor, Ont., and until then workers are "still required" to report to the picket line until the deal is ratified.

More than 600 workers went on strike on March 1. The company handles local clients including Ford, Stellantis and Caesars Windsor.

Unifor Local 240 preisdent Jodi Nesbitt on the picket line with striking GreenShield members on March 25, 2024. Workers are entering their fourth week on the line.
Unifor Local 240 preisdent Jodi Nesbitt on the picket line with striking GreenShield members on March 25, 2024. Workers are entering their fourth week on the line.

Unifor Local 240 preisdent Jodi Nesbitt on the picket line with striking GreenShield members on March 25. (Dale Molnar/CBC)

The bulk of them are in Windsor and represented by Unifor Local 240. A handful are Toronto based and represented by Local 673.

Local 240 president Jodi Nesbitt said the tentative deal includes improvements to job security, which was a main stumbling block in negotiations.

"Our membership gave us a clear mandate and they were fully aware that when we initially went out there were some concerns that we weren't getting what we needed to feel comfortable for the job security language," said Nesbitt.

"We wouldn't be bringing back a tentative collective agreement if we didn't feel confident in things being addressed that needed to be addressed."

GreenShield executive Mila Lucio said the company is pleased to confirm the tentative deal.

"Our valued unionized employees will now have the opportunity to ratify the agreement through a voting process," said Lucio.

"We believe the agreement delivers on their key needs while still allowing us to maintain market competitive pricing levels for our clients."

Lucio said the company looks forward to welcoming its team members back to work.